The New Addition
by DaisyMargaret
Summary: When Bryn Sidney joins the BAU fresh from the academy, she is thrown right into her first case. As the investigation progresses, Bryn has to fight for her life after the un-sub realizes that she is getting too close. Can the rest of the team save her before her first case becomes her last? Reid romance as the story progresses. Please please review, I'd love to hear your thoughts :)
1. Chapter 1

**Part One**

Bryn Sidney stared at herself in the mirror, trying not to have a nervous breakdown. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, an aching rhythm that reminded her just how agitated she was. Her skin looked sallow and sickly under the fluorescent lights, and her eyes were wild. Basically, she looked like she had just seen a ghost. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself. _It's just a job_, she reminded herself. _Nobody expects you to be perfect on your first day_. Well, nobody except herself, that is. God, she was being ridiculous. Seriously, who has to retreat to the bathroom at Starbucks on their way to work, just so they can have a panic attack? She was heading towards her first day at her dream job, sure, but surely she should be able to stop for coffee without being reduced to a nervous wreck. On the other, maybe the coffee wasn't such a good idea. It's not like she wasn't wired already. Oh well, it was too late now. In fact, the barista was probably calling her name right that second. She splashed some cold water on her face and stared at her reflection, her expression determined. _Keep it together, Bryn. You can't afford to mess this up._ After taking one final deep breath, she strode out of the bathroom before she could wimp out.

She had been right- the barista was calling her name, his nasally voice laced with irritation.

"Sorry," She murmured as she retrieved her double shot espresso. The barista scowled at her and walked away. Great, this was turning out to be the perfect morning. Bryn checked her watch and sighed. She still had an hour before she had to be at work. She had never been much of a morning person, but she had been so nervous about today that she had barely been able to sleep at all last night. Resigning herself to the uncomfortable café chairs, she sat down and sipped on her drink. The store was relatively quiet, basking in the tranquillity that only the pre-rush hour time could provide. Only three other people sat in the store, and Bryn began to watch them, trying to learn more about them. It was kind of creepy when you thought about it, but it was just part of her job. People watching had been so ingrained into her psyche that it was hard to switch it off.

Her first subject was a young guy, maybe 19 or 20. The large geography textbook balanced on his lap told her that he was a college student, and the bags under his eyes and venti cup suggested that he was caffeinating before a big test. A few tables away, a middle-aged African-American woman in a blue nurses uniform sipped on a small frappucino, her eyes glued to her cellphone. Her slightly dishevelled hair and rumpled uniform told Bryn that she had just come off shift, and was relaxing before heading home. The only other occupant of the café was a guy with short, light brown hair and pale skin. He looked to be around Bryn's age, in his mid to late twenties, and he was writing intently in a leather bound journal. Bryn was a little stumped: his age and clothing suggested graduate student or teacher, but he didn't seem to be carrying a laptop or any books, except for the journal. Bryn was curious, and for a moment she forgot about her anxiety. She sipped on her drink, trying to work this guy out. He was slender, but definitely not athletic. His clothes looked expensive and professional, which seemed to rule out student, but they were also devoid of the uniformity that categorised teacher's clothing. Bryn knew that she was staring, but she couldn't help it. The guy was like a puzzle, and she was determined that with a little more work, she would solve him. It didn't hurt that he wasn't bad on the eyes, either. He kind of reminded her of a guy she'd dated in college; brooding, moody, hard to read. Of course, that had ended in tears, so maybe reliving that memory wasn't the best idea.

She was still mulling over her failed love life when she realised that the object of her attention was staring back at her, his brow creased in confusion. Bryn turned away, and she knew that she was blushing furiously. This happened to her all the time, and it was incredibly embarrassing. She glanced up again furtively, expecting to see the mystery man glaring at her, but she was shocked to realise that he had disappeared. Crap. She'd probably just scared off some poor guy trying to relax on his way to work. Could her morning get any worse? Speaking of which, she checked her watch again. She had twenty minutes to get to work, plenty of time. At least she could get one thing right this morning.

Bryn stood in front of the elevator, cold sweat coating her palms. Well, she was here. The Behavioural Analysis Unit at Quantico. Her access card was clipped to her belt, her papers had all been signed off, and she was officially an FBI profiler. The job she'd dreamed of since she was 16, and she was finally here, ten years later. She could see a lot of busy looking people through a set of glass doors- clearly there wasn't a lot of downtime here. Not that she'd expected that, of course. She quickly checked her reflection in the glass; grey long sleeved shirt, fitted black trousers, dark brown hair hanging loose over her shoulders. Professional but modern, the look her best friend Casey had told her to go for. Bryn just hoped that she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb. Steeling herself, she walked through the double doors and into the lion's den.

She barely had time to take in the room before somebody tapped her on the shoulder. A woman was standing behind her, and she definitely hadn't gone for the modern professional look. Her blonde hair was tied up in two pigtails, each one secured with a bright pink band. She was wearing a light blue dress with a purple cardigan, which she had accessorised with fuschia lipstick and dangly pink earrings. Her eyes were cheerful behind her bright glasses, and she was smiling at Bryn so warmly that she couldn't help but smile back.

"Hey, you must Bryn. I'm Penelope Garcia, otherwise known as the resident computer genius around here. Welcome to the family!"

"Hi," Bryn managed to squeak out. Penelope took her by the arm and steered her towards a desk in the middle of the room.

"This is your desk, sorry about the lack of colour, but you're welcome to decorate. Front office would have given you your internet password so you can hook your laptop up to our wi-fi, which is totally speedy thanks to yours truly, and there's stationary in your drawer. Oh, and I took the liberty of stealing you one of those cool FBI mugs. Everyone around here pretty much lives on caffeine, so get used to it. There's a team briefing in ten, so you can meet everyone then. Is there anything else you want to know?"

It took Bryn a moment to process the huge amount of information that had just been shot at her, but she managed to mumble thanks after a few seconds. Penelope grinned and bounced away, humming. Shaking her head in bewilderment, Bryn put down her bag and sat down behind her desk. A strange feeling washed over her as she stared around the room. She was exactly where she wanted to be, but there was so much she still had to learn. She had never worked a real case before, and she knew that pretty soon people's lives were going to depend on her and her colleagues. Sure, they'd gone over hundreds of case files at the academy, poring over every little detail, but that was just classwork. This was the real thing. It was a pretty daunting prospect.

"Like what you see so far?"

Bryn had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the person standing in front of her. She recognised his face straight away though, and she stood up to give him a tight hug.

"Hey Uncle Dave," She smiled. David Rossi had been like a second father to her for as long as she could remember. He'd served with her Dad in Vietnam, and when her father had been shot by serial killer Wayne Hammond when Bryn was 15, Dave had led the investigation into his murder. Bryn had even lived with him for a while when she had first started out at the academy. Dave had been the one to suggest that she should apply for the newly vacant profiling spot when Alex Blake had left the Beaureu to teach at Harvard, and Bryn suspected that he had put in a good word for her with the director. She owed him a lot, and she was glad to see a familiar face amongst all the strangeness.

"How are you feeling?" Dave sat on the edge of her desk. "You look nervous."

Bryn shrugged. "I'm okay. It's just strange finally being here. I guess I never really thought I would make it."

"You graduated top of your class, you're a gifted profiler, and you work harder than most of the agents around here. You deserve to be here."

"Thanks," Bryn smiled, and Dave put a hand on her shoulder.

"Your Dad would be proud of you, kid. I sure am."

Bryn opened her mouth to thank him, but she had barely gotten a word out before Penelope Garcia appeared at her side.

"Duty calls, crime fighters. Hotch wants everyone in the conference room, stat."

Penelope bustled away, and Dave chuckled.

"Time to get to work, kiddo."

Taking a deep breath, Bryn picked up her things and followed him to the second floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two**

Dave led her into a small conference room, where Penelope stood in front of a large screen. Three other people were already seated; a stern looking man in a suit and tie, a blonde woman who smiled at her, and an African-American guy in a navy blue shirt. Bryn had met the man in the suit once before- he was Aaron Hotchner, the team's leader. He had been there when she was interviewed, although he hadn't said much. He stood up as she entered the room.

"Bryn, it's nice to see you again," He said, shaking her hand.

"You too, sir," She replied with a smile. He nodded at the two strangers.

"Bryn Sidney, meet Agents Jennifer Jereau and Derek Morgan. J.J, Morgan, Bryn is Blake's replacement."

They exchanged greetings, and Bryn sat down beside J.J. Morgan leaned across the table to talk to her.

"So Rossi tells me that you two know each other?"

Bryn glanced at Dave, who was pretending to be immersed in a txt message on his phone.

"Yeah, Dave's kind of like an uncle to me. Why's that?"

Morgan grinned. "Got any juicy secrets to share?"

Bryn glanced at Dave again, and then leaned in conspiratorially.

"There is one thing…..Last year, when I dropped by his place to return a book, I heard him singing in the shower…..to Celine Dion."

Morgan and J.J. burst into laughter, whilst Dave glared at her.

"Is there nobody I can trust?" He growled, his ears turning red.

"I think I'm gonna enjoy having Bryn around," Morgan chuckled.

"Speaking of people being around, does anyone know where Reid is? He's not usually late," J.J. said, looking at Penelope.

"I haven't seen him- oh wait, speak of the devil and he shall appear."

Bryn followed Penelope's stare to the door which had just opened. She almost fell off her chair. Staring back at her, looking slightly flustered, was the mystery man from the coffee shop.

"Reid, this is Agent Bryn Sidney. Bryn, this is Doctor Spencer Reid," Hotch introduced the pair, oblivious to the awkward tension between them. Bryn knew that she was blushing, and it didn't help that Penelope, Morgan, J.J. and Dave were staring at her, obviously confused at her reaction.

"Hi," Reid nodded at her and took a seat, clearly still surprised. "Sorry I'm late, I missed my train."

Hotch nodded and turned to Penelope. "Go ahead, Garcia."

Penelope pressed a button on a small remote and several images flashed on screen. J.J. handed Bryn a brown folder, which Bryn guessed to be their case file.

"Yesterday 33 year old Michael Tucker was found sexually assaulted and beaten to death in Burlington, Ohio," Penelope began. Bryn could tell that she was avoiding looking at the screen, which showed a picture of a bruised and bloodied man lying on a patch of grass. "He was found at Simpson Park by two joggers. He was completely naked, except for, and this is seriously creepy, a Halloween devil mask. Another man, 40 year old Isaac White, was found the same way at a playground last week, and 37 year old Frank Elms was discovered outside an elementary school a fortnight ago."

"Were the other two men sexually assaulted?" J.J asked.

"Yeah, and they were all wearing the same Halloween mask," Penelope replied.

"The autopsy report on Frank Elms suggests that he was beaten with a blunt object repeatedly and with extreme force," Morgan noted, glancing down at his file. "It takes a lot of anger to beat someone to death."

"All three sexual assaults occurred pre-mortem, and there's severe bruising around the genital area on all three men," Bryn said, scanning the coroner's report. "The un-sub could be a sexual-sadist."

"Burlington PD want us there as soon as possible. If the Un-Sub follows his pattern, we have five days before another body turns up " Hotch looked grim. "Wheels up in thirty."

Bryn rummaged in the back seat of her car until she found her overnight bag. Dave had recommended keeping one with her at all times, as the team was often called out on short notice. She'd ditched the conference room pretty fast, as she felt incredibly awkward being in the same room as Reid. She was still embarrassed about being caught staring at him in the coffee shop that morning, and she was dreading having to share a flight with him. For all she knew, he thought she was a total freak.

She rejoined the rest of the team on the tarmac, although she was careful to avoid eye contact with Reid as they boarded the jet. She sat down next to J.J. and retrieved her case file from her bag. She wanted to re-examine it before touching down in Ohio. She couldn't help but grimace as she looked at the crime scene photographs. All three victims were covered in bruises from head to toe, and the coroner's reports on the first two victims mentioned that they had suffered major internal bleeding in several different areas as a result of the blows. It was clear that they victims had suffered extremely painful and drawn out deaths.

Dave sat down opposite her and handed her and J.J. coffees.

"Do we know how long he spends with the victims before they were discovered?"

J.J. flicked through her case file. "It looks like all three victims were abducted around 48 hours before their bodies were found. The first two victims were taken from their homes, but the last victim was abducted from the carpark outside of his office."

"48 hours….." Bryn murmured. "That's a long time to stay this angry at someone."

"Maybe he tortures them before killing them?" Dave suggested.

"Or he works long hours and doesn't have time to sexually assault, beat and dispose of the victims all at once," J.J. pointed out.

Dave nodded, and then turned to Reid, Morgan and Hotch, who were sitting on the other side of the jet.

"Did Garcia manage to find any connections between the victims?"

"Not yet, but she's working on it," Reid answered. "The victims all seem pretty similar though. White middle aged males with respectable jobs and families."

Bryn looked down at the crime scene photos again. "The Halloween masks are obviously important to the Un-Sub. It is only a week until Halloween, maybe the holiday is some sort of trigger?"

Hotch nodded. "It could be. The Un-Sub is also identifying the victims with the devil for some reason. Everyone should get some rest, it's going to be a long day and we won't know any more until we land."

Bryn dug her Ipod out of her bag and leaned back in her chair. Music always helped her when she was studying, so she figured she might as well try it now. She settled in and closed her eyes, and let her thoughts take over.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three**

They arrived in Burlington shortly after 2pm. The Sherriff was young, only a few years older than Bryn from the look of things, and he was eager to please. A room had been set up for their use, and the team assembled around a conference table.

"Dave, Morgan, I want you to go to the latest crime scene. J.J, you and I will speak to the latest victim's family. Bryn, I need you and Reid to go to the morgue, the coroner has just finished Michael Tucker's autopsy."

Bryn glanced at Reid, and he glanced back at her. This was going to be awkward.

Bryn climbed into the passenger seat of the big black SUV, feeling nervous. Reid seemed pleased to be driving, for some reason. They sat in silence as Reid pulled out onto the road and headed towards the hospital. After ten minutes of awkward silence, Bryn couldn't take it any more.

"Um, I just wanted to apologise for this morning," She said, keeping her eyes focussed on the road ahead of her. "I didn't mean to stare at you or make you feel uncomfortable, I was just people watching and I kind of got lost in thought."

"It's okay," Reid replied. "I was just surprised. It was actually kind of lucky. I was writing and I forgot to check on the time. I would have been even later if I hadn't glanced up and saw you."

Bryn glanced at him, but his expression was unreadable. She decided to try a new tactic.

"You know, I thought I recognised your name earlier but I couldn't place it. I think I just clicked though. You wrote a paper on Family Annhialators, right?"

Reid looked surprised. "Yeah, I did. You read it?"

"Yeah, I found it fascinating. I actually quoted it in one of my essays at college."

Reid look pleased, and Bryn smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so awkward after all. They pulled into the hospital car park and climbed out into the rain. It was a miserable day, cold and wet, and Bryn was glad that she had thought to bring her coat, because it was even colder in the morgue.

The coroner, Doctor Sarah Himenez, had laid out the late Michael Tucker on an autopsy slab. Seeing the dead man in photographs had been bad enough, but the bruising on the corpse had left the man almost unrecognisable. What little skin that had been left unmarked was chalky white, and the victim's hair and face were flecked with dried blood.

"I've established cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head, which is consistent with the other victims," Doctor Himenez said. "I also found ligature marks on his wrists and feet, so it looks like he was tied up like the other victims as well."

Reid bent down and looked at the marks on the victim's wrists and then glanced up at the doctor.

"Have the tox-results come in yet?"

Doctor Himenez checked her clipboard. "Yeah, the victim was clean."

"All three victims were healthy adult males. The Un-Sub would have to be pretty strong and fast to subdue them without using sedatives," Bryn pointed out. Reid nodded and thanked the doctor. As soon as they got back to the SUV he pulled out his phone. He put it on speaker as Hotch answered.

"Hotch, the Un-Sub didn't use drugs to sedate any of the victims," Reid told him. "Cause of death was the same as the previous victims."

"J.J. and I are leaving Mike Tucker's house now. His wife said he had being staying late at his law firm lately to work on a new case, which is why she didn't phone him in as missing until this morning. If the Un-Sub was stalking the vic he would know that it would be easier to abduct him from work rather than at home, which is why he changed his pattern."

"We're headed back to the station now, see you soon."

Reid hung up and we drove back to the police station. Rossi, Morgan, J.J. and Hotch were already waiting for us. The crime scene hadn't turned up anything new, and they were left to pore over the case files for the next few hours. J.J. ordered in Chinese for dinner, and they all took a break to eat. Bryn was hoping they wouldn't focus on her, but unfortunately for her, profilers were curious people.

"So, Bryn, tell us a little about yourself," J.J. said, smiling at her. From what Bryn had gathered in their short time together, it seemed like J.J. was the mother figure of the group. Kind of friendlier counterpart to Hotch's sternness.

"Ummm, I grew up in D.C., I studied Criminology and Forensic Science at Yale, I'm an only child… There's not much more to tell really."

Bryn trailed off, not sure what else to say. She didn't really want to talk about her family any further, as it would inevitably lead to her father's murder. That was one topic she was really not comfortable discussing, especially in a room full of mostly strangers. Dave must have seen her discomfort because he changed the subject.

"J.J., how's Henry doing? You said he had the chicken pox last week?"

"He's fine now, thank god," J.J smiled. "The poor wee guy was so itchy, Will and I were awake every night for a week trying to stop him from scratching himself raw."

The conversation turned to children. Bryn learned that Henry was J.J's four year old son, whilst Hotch had a boy called Jack. Dave had never had kids, but he managed to dig up plenty of suitably embarrassing childhood stories about her that left the whole group in stitches. Bryn was starting to feel a little more comfortable with the team, but she was still feeling anxious about the case. It was like there was something trying to catch her attention, but she couldn't put her finger on it. When Hotch finally called it a night and told them to head to their motel, Bryn decided to stay on and keep working. Reid stayed as well, as he was going through the geographic profile.

By the time it reached 3.00am, Bryn was desperate for a coffee break. She'd been reading witness statements, police reports and victim histories for hours, and she still hadn't gotten any further. Reid was sitting at the other end of the conference table, scanning a book on the history of Burlington. Bryn had learned from Morgan that Reid had an eidetic memory, and was pretty much a genius, which explained why he had gotten through three books in the last few hours. He hadn't taken a break either, and Bryn took pity on him.

"Want a coffee? " She said, fighting back a yawn. "It's not as good as Starbucks, but…."

Reid looked up from the book, his eyes bleary. "Sure. Black, two sugars."

Bryn managed to find two clean mugs in the grimy station kitchen and returned shortly with two steaming cups of coffee. She placed one in front of Reid and fell into her chair, feeling exhausted.

"Thanks," Reid said, laying his book down and taking a sip. "I'm surprised you're still here. I'm usually the only person who stays late."

Bryn closed her eyes. "I don't really know why I stayed. I just feel like I'm missing something important, and I'm kind of stubborn. I don't like stopping something until I've finished it."

"I know the feeling," Reid smiled. "It just gnaws at the back of your mind until you do something about it."

"Exactly! It's frustrating," Bryn sighed. "Anyway, how are you going? Find anything interesting?"

Reid looked down at his book. "Not yet. The only link between the dump sites is that they're all public places, frequented by families. We've already established that the victims are killed somewhere else, but I'm no closer to finding out where."

Suddenly something clicked in Bryn's brain. She sat up so fast that she almost knocked over her coffee.

"Wait, all of the dump sites are frequented by kids, right?" Reid nodded. "What if the Un-Sub is trying to send us a message? If he believes the victims acted against children, he might try to demonise them in places symbolic of children and childhood, like schools and parks."

Reid sat up as and stared at her, his eyes bright with renewed energy.

"It would fit with the Halloween masks placed on the victims. He's literally demonising these men in front of the public. We need to re-interview the victim's friends and families to see if any of them had any issues with children."

"We should start by going over the victim's histories again. I've got them here, but we could look at them in the morning if you want to get some sleep…." Bryn offered, glancing at the clock. She wasn't feeling tired any more, but it wouldn't be fair of her to expect Reid to stay as well.

Reid stood up and moved to the chair beside her. He sat down and grabbed one of the case files.

"Are you kidding? Of course I'm staying."

Bryn smiled and picked up a file of her own. It looked like her first day on the job was turning into an all nighter.


	4. Chapter 4

"This is taking commitment to a whole new level."

Bryn lifted her head up from the table, wincing as her back protested. Light was streaming in through the window, and she rubbed her eyes groggily. Reid was waking up beside her, yawning widely. Dave and Morgan were standing in front of them, looking amused.

"What time is it?" Bryn asked, stretching.

"8.00 am," Morgan replied, grinning. "You know, I would have brought popcorn and nail polish if I knew that we were having a sleepover."

"Don't bring up nail polish in front of me," Dave advised. "I lost a bet with Bryn once and had to wear pink nail polish for a week."

"That shade did compliment your eyes though," Hotch said as he walked into the room, with J.J. close behind. Bryn was surprised- maybe her boss did have a sense of humour after all. She knew that he had been friends with Dave for a long time, and she vaguely remembered his face from some of Dave's weddings. He had always seemed so serious and business-like, but Dave was pretty selective about his friends so she figured he was a good guy.

"Did you guys stay here all night?" J.J. asked as she sat down.

"Yeah," Reid looked sheepish. "But Bryn had a breakthrough."

Everybody's eyes turned to Bryn, and she flushed.

"It's just an idea. I think that the Un-Sub might be targeting men who he believes have harmed children in some way. He's portraying them as devils and dumping the bodies in areas frequented by children and families."

Hotch considered her for a moment and then pulled out his phone and dialled a number.

"Penelope Garcia, at your service," A cheerful voice chirped through the speaker.

"Garcia, I need you to check the victim's criminal histories for any issues relating to children. We think the Un-Sub may be targeting men who have acted against children."

"I'm on it, Sir."

Garcia hung up. Hotch looked around at the team and then stood up.

"I'm going to get Michael Tucker's law firm to send over all of his case files relating to children, there may be something in there that can help us. Reid, I want you and Bryn to head back to the hotel and get some sleep. I need you to be on top of your game. The rest of us will go back and speak to the victim's families again. Bryn and Reid can go over the lawyer's files when they come back."

The last thing Bryn wanted to do was sleep now that they had a lead, but she could tell by Hotch's expression that there was no point arguing with him. Besides, she could definitely use a shower and change of clothes.

Reid drove them to the hotel, which was a ten minute drive from the police station.

"Do you have any plans for Halloween?" Reid asked. "Assuming that we get home before then?"

"This will probably sound weird, but there's an Edgar Allan Poe poetry reading at this café around the corner from my apartment," Bryn admitted. "I'm kind of a big fan. I know it's strange, considering how morbid this job can be, but I find Poe's work fascinating."

She expected Reid to look creeped out, but he grinned. "I'm a fan of Poe's too! They have this cool exhibit on his life at the Smithsonian at the moment , I was going to check it out when we get back."

"I heard about that. I tried to convince Dave to go with me, but the deadline for the next chapter of his new book is coming up."

"I was going to ask him tomorrow," Reid looked a little crestfallen, like a child who had just dropped an ice cream cone.

"You could come with me, if you want," Bryn suggested, hoping that she wasn't being too forward. She didn't know Reid very well, but he seemed like a nice enough guy. Besides, it wasn't every day that she found someone who shared her fascination with Poe.

Reid looked surprised but pleased. "That'd be great!"

They walked together to their rooms. Bryn's was in between Reid's and J.J.'s, which she was pleased about considering that Dave's snoring could often be heard through thick walls. She said goodbye to Reid and headed straight for her bed. A wave of exhaustion washed over her, and she was asleep within seconds of her head hitting the pillow.

The shrill ringing of her cellphone brought her back to consciousness. She picked it up and saw Morgan's name on the screen.

"Hey, what's up?" She answered, stifling a yawn. The clock on the wall told her that she'd been asleep for just under three hours.

"Sorry to wake you, kid, but Hotch wants you and Reid back at the station. The law firm sent over all the files from our dead lawyer. You have a lot of reading waiting for you."

"Great," Bryn groaned, and Morgan chuckled. "Have you heard back from Garcia yet?"

"Yeah. Apparently our first vic was arrested three years ago for roughing up some kid that egged his car on Halloween. The second victim was a teacher, and he was accused of making sexual advances towards one of his male students. There was no real evidence though, and the case got dropped. There's nothing on our third victim yet though."

"Okay, thanks Morgan. We'll be back soon."

Bryn hung up and called Reid. When he finally answered, she told him the news and then headed for the bathroom for a quick shower. By the time she and Reid arrived at the station, J.J. was waiting for them.

"Here are all the case files involving kids that Michael Tucker worked on," J.J. dropped a huge stack of files onto the conference table. "Hotch wants you to call him as soon as you find anything."

Bryn sighed and sat down. It was going to be a long afternoon.

It was nearly 4.00pm when Bryn found what they'd been looking for.

"Reid, I think I have something here," She said, handing him a file. "Our vic worked as a defence lawyer for a guy called Terrence Palmer. Palmer was accused of raping two young boys when he worked at a holiday park over summer. It looks like our lawyer got the charges dismissed on a technicality."

Reid scanned the file. "If the Un-Sub believed that Palmer was guilty, he might consider Michael Tucker to be helping him escape justice for hurting those kids."

"It would fit with the other victims. But why wouldn't the Un-Sub go after Palmer himself?"

Reid pulled out his phone and dialled. After a few rings, Garcia answered.

"Garcia, can you look into a man called Terrence Palmer?"

The sound of impossibly fast typing echoed through the speaker.

"Terrence Palmer, aged 47, worked as a maintenance guy at Sunny Springs Holiday Park for five years, no family. He passed away from lung cancer a month ago, his house was sold, and his possessions are locked up in a storage container in Burlington."

Bryn shared a look with Reid, and it was clear that he was thinking the same thing.

"What if Palmer's death was the trigger?" She asked as Reid hung up. "If our Un-Sub was sexually abused by Palmer as a kid, Palmer's death could have put him over the edge."

Reid looked thoughtful. "So when Palmer died and the Un-Sub realised that he couldn't get revenge on his attacker, he went after other middle-aged men who had harmed children. Michael Tucker helped Palmer to get new rape charges dropped, so the Un-Sub considered him to be equally as guilty."

Bryn called Hotch and told him what they'd found.

"So we're looking for a man in his late twenties or early thirties who was sexually assaulted by Terrence Palmer as a child?"

"I think so," Bryn replied. "And Hotch, I think the assault might have occurred on or around Halloween. It would explain the timing and the Halloween masks."

"Alright, good work. I'll have Garcia look deeper into Palmer's history. In the meantime, I want you guys to go through Terrence Palmer's possessions. If he was a child molester, he might have kept trophies from his victims. I'll have J.J. and Dave interview the two kids who filed a complaint against him."

Bryn glanced at Reid. It looked like they were going to spend the rest of the day combing through the contents of a child molester's house. She loved her job, but some parts of it seriously sucked.


	5. Chapter 5

**Reid's POV**

Reid glanced at his watch, a present from his Mom when he graduated high school. Bryn had left to get her water bottle approximately 27 minutes ago, and she still hadn't returned. She didn't strike him as the lazy type, so he dismissed the notion that she was deliberately loitering to avoid work. He dialled her cell, but it went straight to voice mail. That was odd. Agents were required to have their phones on hand at all times during a case. Reid felt uneasy. His years in the Bureau had taught him to trust his instincts, and all of his instincts were telling him that something was wrong. He drew his gun from the holster on his belt and crept towards the car park. The SUV was the only vehicle there, and he immediately noticed that the left rear door was wide open. Reid checked his periphery and, seeing no immediate threats, moved towards the car. His brain registered several things at once as he stared at the scene. The door was wide open, and the contents of Bryn's bag were scattered over the backseat. The keys to the SUV had been dropped on the ground beside the tyre. A pool of blood was beginning to dry on the concrete beside them. Reid's stomach dropped. Bryn had been abducted.

Within ten minutes police were swarming the parking lot. Reid leaned against the side of a squad car as he finished telling Hotch and the others what had happened. They all looked grave, but Dave was the worst. Reid knew that Dave had been a father figure in Bryn's life, and it was clear to everyone that he was devastated.

"From the amount of blood beside the SUV, I think we can assume that the Un-Sub took Bryn alive," Morgan said, looking at the crime scene. "But taking her doesn't fit his pattern."

"Maybe he thought that we were about to find something, so he took her to distract us?" J.J. suggested.

"Well it's working," Reid murmured. J.J. put a hand on his shoulder in comfort. Jennifer had been one of his closest friends for years, and she could tell how he was feeling. Reid felt like he was being smothered by guilt. He kept running the scenario over and over in his head- he should have gone with Bryn, or offered to get her bottle instead. Agents weren't supposed to go anywhere alone while working a case. He had been her partner, and he'd let someone hurt her. He wasn't sure if he would ever be able to forgive himself for that.

"If the Un-Sub felt so threatened that he took the risk of abducting a Federal Agent, we must have been close to finding something," Hotch said. "J.J., Morgan, I want you to go through the rest of the storage container. There must be something in there that the Un-Sub doesn't want us to find. Reid, Dave, we'll go back to the station to work on the profile. If the Un-Sub wants something from us, that's where he'll make contact.

"Hotch, we should be out there looking for her!" Rossi exclaimed angrily. He was clearly agitated, and he ran his fingers through his hair. Hotch looked sympathetic, but his voice was firm.

"Dave, I know that she means a lot to you, but right now the best thing we can do for Bryn is continue to work this case. She's been trained for this kind of situation, she'll be okay."

Rossi looked like he was about argue, but thought better of it and stalked over to his SUV. Hotch followed and Reid trailed after him morosely. Despite what Hotch had said, Reid knew the case well enough to know the Un-Sub's pattern. If he stuck to his routine, Bryn had a day or two at the most.

Morgan and J.J. arrived back at the station an hour later, holding several evidence bags. It was an odd assortment of items- a Yankees baseball cap, a pair of small black gloves, and an old-school Gameboy. They laid them on the conference table.

"We found these in a suitcase near the back of the container," Morgan said. "They look like the kind of thing sex offenders take as trophies from their victims. We've already confirmed that the hat belongs to one of the boys who filed a complaint against Palmer."

Hotch's laptop, which was sitting on the conference able, beeped into life. A video screen opened up, and Garcia's face appeared. Reid could tell straight away that something was wrong. Garcia looked teary and scared, and she was visibly shaking. Morgan pushed his way to the front of the team.

"What's wrong, Penelope?" He asked, obviously concerned.

"I-I just received an email from an untraceable email account," She replied, her voice wavering. "The message was blank, but there was a video attachment. Prepare yourselves, family."

Garcia's face disappeared and a new video screen popped up. It took a second for Reid to realise what he was seeing. The screen showed what looked like the inside of an old barn. Bryn sat in the middle of the room, tied to a chair. She had been stripped down to her underwear, and dried blood caked the left side of her face. She was unconscious. Reid felt sick, and he could see Rossi struggling to hold back his emotion in his peripheral vision.

A man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask and plain black hooded sweatshirt appeared on screen, having just turned on the camera. He waved at the screen and then walked towards Bryn, who was beginning to stir. It was then that Reid saw the knife. It was long and serrated, similar to a hunting knife. The Un-Sub knelt beside Bryn and tilted her head up to look into the camera. She tried to pull her head away but she was still weak from the blow.

"Say hello to your friends, Agent Sidney," The Un-Sub's voice was distorted, and had been disguised before the video was sent.

"Get your hands off of me," Bryn said, her voice trembling. The Un-Sub laughed.

"That wouldn't be much fun, would it? Besides, we have to make this entertaining for our audience."

The man reached across Bryn's torso and, with sickening care, cut a shallow line across her collar bone with the knife. Reid could tell that Bryn was biting her cheek to stop from crying out. He felt J.J.'s hand grip his shoulder, and he put his hand on top of hers for comfort.

The Un-Sub sighed. "Not even a peep? Brave girl. I guess we'll have to make this more interesting, we wouldn't want the people at home to get bored, would we?"

He stood up, and without any warning, plunged the knife into Bryn's stomach. She screamed, and Reid knew that he would never forget that scream for the rest of his life. The Un-Sub pulled the knife out, and blood immediately streamed from the wound. He turned to the camera, twirling the bloodied knife between his fingers.

"Don't worry, I know how to avoid all the major organs. She won't die. Well, not yet, anyway. I'm going to have some fun with her first."

He turned back to Bryn, who was whimpering quietly. "Want to say goodbye to your friends? You won't be seeing them for a while."

She looked up at the camera, her eyes wild and pleading. She opened her mouth to speak, but the Un-Sub darted behind the camera, and the screen went black.

The conference room was silent. Reid felt nauseous. He could also feel that all too familiar craving, the desire to numb the pain. He knew that he could easily get his hands on some Dilaudid, and everything would slip out of focus. He mentally slapped himself. He couldn't give into that, no matter how much he wanted to. The Dilaudid dulled the pain, but it also dulled his mind. He couldn't think properly, couldn't make connections. If he wanted to help Bryn, he had to be completely alert.

Garcia's face popped back up on the screen. She looked like she was going to throw up.

"I tried to trace the email and the video but no luck. This guy is good."

Hotch's fists were clenched, a surefire sign that he was angry. "Garcia, look up all the properties in the area that have a barn or large farm building."

"I'll get on it right away, but it will be a big list, Sir."

Hotch turned to the rest of the team. He glanced at Rossi, who was sitting at the table, his head in his hands.

"We need to narrow the profile. So far we have a middle aged male who was sexually abused by Terrence Palmer during his youth. He knows enough about technology to disguise his voice and prevent us from tracking him through his emails. Except for when he abducted Bryn, all of the victims were taken at night, so we can probably assume that he has a day job. Halloween is significant to him, and the sexual assault probably occurred on or around the holiday."

"It's unlikely that he has a partner or family," J.J. suggested. "It'd be pretty hard to hide the victims from them."

Reid's mind raced as he thought back to other cases he had worked on involving victims of sexual abuse.

"This guy was clearly traumatised by his sexual assault," He said. "It's unlikely that he's had any successful long term relationships."

Garcia's video chat flashed on screen. "Guys, there are 35 properties with large farm buildings in the area."

"How many are owned by men fitting the age range?" Morgan asked.

"That would be 22."

Reid leaned forward. "Garcia, cross-reference that list with single men who lived in Terrence Palmer's neighbourhood during their adolescence."

Garcia typed frantically for a few moments. "That leaves five men. I'm sending their details to your tablets now."

Reid pulled out his tablet and opened the file from Garcia. He scanned the details of the five men.

"None of these men completely fit the profile. Three of them work nights, so they couldn't have abducted the first three victims. The fourth man is on holiday in Turkey, and the fifth was married for ten years until his wife died of cancer."

Rossi banged his fist on the table and stormed out of the conference room. Hotch shared a look with Morgan and followed him. Morgan sighed.

"We should check on these guys in the meantime just in case. It's not much, but at least it's something."

Reid nodded and followed Morgan and J.J. outside. He knew that they wouldn't find anything, but he needed to be doing something, anything to take his mind off of Bryn's terrified eyes before the camera turned off.


	6. Chapter 6

**Reid's POV**

Reid pressed his head against the cool glass of the car window and stared at the endless stretch of farmland streaming past. They were heading back to the station after searching the last property. They'd found nothing out of the ordinary, just like at all the other farms. Reid had never felt so useless before. Usually he could come up with something to help, but his IQ was letting him down.

"Reid, what happened to Bryn isn't your fault."

Reid turned to look a Morgan. He'd obviously picked up on Reid's line of thought.

"I should have been able to help her, Derek," Reid replied quietly. Morgan stared at him with pity and understanding in his eyes.

"Kid, I've been in this situation before. I know how you're feeling. We all want to help Bryn, but there's nothing you could have done to have stopped this."

Reid turned back to the window. He didn't want to talk about it, and Morgan knew enough about him to not push for an answer.

Hotch was waiting for them when they arrived back at the station, and from the look on his face, Reid knew the news wasn't good.

"The Un-Sub sent us another video."

They followed him to the conference room, where Rossi was sat in front of the laptop. Reid had never seen his colleague looking so pale and tired before. Hotch opened up a blank email and clicked on the video attachment. The scene was similar to the first video- they were in the same barn-like building, and Bryn was tied to the same chair. But as the camera zoomed in on Bryn, Reid realised that things had escalated during the last few hours. Bryn's body was covered in nasty purple and blue bruises, and there were several new shallow cuts along her arms and torso. The Un-Sub had bandaged up the stab wound, but Bryn looked deathly pale. Reid could tell that she had lost a lot of blood. He also noticed that the Un-Sub had altered Bryn's clothing again. One of her bra straps had been torn, and her clothes were dirty and dishevelled. There were bruises on her neck that were consistent with being strangled. Reid had a horrible feeling that he knew what had happened, but he tried to push it to the back of his mind.

Once again, the Un-Sub walked out in front of the camera. He was wearing the same mask and sweatshirt, but there were striking differences between this and the first video. The masked figure in the new video looked shorter and thinner, and the skin on his hands looked more aged and pale than the first video.

"There are two Un-Subs," Reid breathed, watching the video intently. The masked figure stood beside Bryn and turned to face the camera.

"Welcome back," The Un-Sub's voice was once again masked. "We've been busy since our last little chat, as you can probably tell."

Bryn was looking at the camera, but her eyes had a hollow, empty look that seemed completely wrong on her. The Un-Sub stroked her cheek slowly, and she flinched away in revulsion.

"I have to hand it to this one, she's feisty," The Un-Sub chuckled. "Put up a real fight. You guys train 'em well."

Bryn closed her eyes, and Reid knew that she was trying to imagine herself somewhere else. He had done the same thing when Tobias Hankel had kidnapped him years ago. Of course, Reid had been given Dilaudid to numb the pain. Bryn was clearly in agony.

The Un-Sub bent down and picked up the knife he had used earlier.

"You know, none of this was necessary. If you had just kept your noses out of this, I could have continued my work and made this town a better place. Instead, you took their side. That makes you just as bad as them. All I'm doing is getting justice."

Reid heard a strangled growl emanate from Rossi as the Un-Sub plunged the knife into Bryn's stomach again. She cried out in agony as the Un-Sub twisted the knife and pulled it out.

"It's too bad that you can't help her," He said, running the tip of the blade along Bryn's jaw. "I don't know if she'll last much longer. I'll just have to make sure that we have fun while it lasts."

The Un-Sub stood up, walked over to the camera, and once again, the screen went black.

"Guys, there are two Un-Subs," Reid said, dialling Garcia. "The man in the first video was younger and taller, I think he's the submissive one in the partnership. He didn't talk about the other murders, he only focussed on Bryn. The man in the new video was older, and he talked about "his work". I think the first Un-Sub was the sexual assault victim and the other one is a relative with sexual-sadistic tendencies. Terrence Palmer's death was a trigger for the both of them."

"Talk to me, Reid," Garcia answered. "I need to feel useful."

"Garcia, are any of the properties on the list owned by two male family members, like a father and son or two brothers?"

"Ummmm, let me see…Yip, there's a farm on the edge of town owned by Robert Wheedon, who lives there with his 25 year old son, Patrick. The address is on your phones now."

"That's gotta be them," J.J. said. "It fits the profile."

Hotch checked the address on his phone and headed towards the door.

"Morgan, alert the Sherriff. We need to move now if we want to save Bryn."

Reid brushed his hand over the gun hanging on his belt. He had never wanted to use it on anyone more in his life. He looked over at Rossi, and the two shared a loaded look. They both knew what they were prepared to do.


	7. Chapter 7

**Reid's POV**

The team crept stealthily towards the decrepit barn. Reid could see Morgan on his left and Rossi on his right, and he knew that J.J. and Hotch were leading a team of agents around the back. They had already cleared the nearby house, although they had found plenty of bloodied clothing and disturbing photographs. As he approached the main door of the barn, Reid could see light filtering through the broken weatherboards. Somebody was talking loudly inside, completely unaware of the scores of agents getting into position around them. Reid glanced at Morgan and Rossi, who both nodded. Steadying his gun, Reid pulled open the door.

He immediately focussed on the two Un-Subs. They were standing in the middle of the room, and they appeared to be arguing. Bryn was standing upright, although she looked ready to drop to the ground at any moment, and the older man, Robert, was holding a knife to her throat. His son was staring at Robert in horror, but both men turned around in surprise when Reid and the others burst into the barn. Robert immediately pressed the knife harder into Bryn's throat, and Reid saw a trickle of blood slowly trail down her neck.

"Don't come any closer!" Robert snarled. "I'll slit her throat!"

"Robert, my name is Spencer Reid, I'm a Federal Agent," Reid said calmly, although he was itching to shoot the man in the head. "I need you to put down the knife and let Agent Sidney go."

Robert glared at him. "I know who you are. You're the one who let your pretty little partner get snatched from right under your nose. That was a little careless, don't you think?"

"Look, Dad, maybe we should just let her go, she's not like the others, she didn't hurt anybody," Patrick implored nervously, his eyes darting between his father and Reid's gun. Reid knew that he had been right about Patrick being the submissive one in the partnership.

"Shut up," Robert growled. "She's just as bad as them. She was helping them to escape justice, just like that lawyer did."

Reid decided to try a different tact. "Robert, I know what Palmer did to Patrick."

Robert gritted his teeth, while Patrick's face betrayed his fear.

"That piece of crap got away with everything he did, just like the guys that we killed," Robert's eyes were glinting manically. Reid had seen that look on killers before, and it was never a good sign.

"I know, and I know that you were just trying to show people that those other men were guilty too. They did horrible things, Robert, and they deserved to be punished. But Agent Sidney was just doing her job, she's not guilty."

Reid could see that Robert's hand was shaking, and Bryn winced in pain. This wasn't going to end well.

"Robert, please," Reid implored him. "Just let Agent Sidney go and we can talk about this. You can give us names, and we can try to get justice for other children."

A calm look settled on Robert's face, and Reid knew that he had failed. Robert barely had time to press the knife deeper into Bryn's throat before Reid's bullet pierced his forehead. Bryn fell to the ground as Robert dropped backwards, his eyes glassy and staring. Agents rushed forward and cuffed Patrick, who was sobbing uncontrollably. Reid and the others sprinted towards Bryn. She was conscious, but one of her bandages had come loose and she was losing a lot of blood from her wounds. Reid heard Hotch call for the paramedics. He took Bryn's hand and felt her pulse in her wrist. It was faint and irregular, and he knew they didn't have much time.

"Bryn, I'm so sorry, you're going to be okay, the paramedics are on their way….." He trailed off as she closed her eyes.

"I knew…You would find me," She whispered. Her voice was hoarse, her lips dry and cracked. A small part of Reid wondered if she had been fed or given water during her captivity.

"I'm sorry it took us so long, I should have been faster, better, I should have realised there were two Un-Subs-"

"Shhh," Bryn wheezed. "It's…..Okay."

"Bryn-" Reid was interrupted by the arrival of the paramedics, who began preparing Bryn for transport. Morgan pulled him gently out of the way.

"Come on kid, we'll meet them at the hospital," He said, pulling Reid towards the door. Reid wanted to go with the ambulance, but Rossi was already holding the door open for the paramedics, his eyes clouded with concern. J.J. and Hotch were waiting for them at the SUV, and Morgan sped towards the hospital while J.J. filled in Garcia, who was frantic.

Bryn was in surgery when they arrived, and Rossi hadn't heard anything yet. Time dragged on in the delivery room as they waited for news. Reid hated hospitals, and he couldn't count how many times he had waited to hear if his friends were okay. Garcia had been shot, Hotch had been stabbed by Foyet, Emily Prentiss had been wounded so badly by Ian Doyle that the majority of the team had thought she was dead. Reid himself had been hospitalised for anthrax poisoning and a gunshot wound to the leg. It was a high risk job, and people got hurt. It never got any easier though.

Six hours and numerous coffees later, they finally received some news.

"Agent Sidney made it through her surgery," the surgeon told them. "She's going to need a lot of rest, but she'll make a full recovery. She should be waking up now, if you want to see her."

They thanked the doctor and followed her directions to Bryn's room. She looked tiny and sickly in the huge hospital bed, but she had more colour in her cheeks now that she was no longer losing blood. Her eyes fluttered open as she heard them enter the room. They crowded around her bed, and Reid saw a solitary tear roll down Rossi's cheek as he looked down at her.

"What a way to start a new job, huh?" Bryn said weakly. She tried to sit up and winced.

"Just try not to move, the doctor says you need to rest," Rossi said, putting a protective hand on her shoulder.

"This is probably going to sound ridiculous under the circumstances, but how are you feeling?" J.J. asked.

Bryn's expression turned guarded. "I'm pretty sore, but I guess that's to be expected. Um, how much did you guys see? On the videos, that is."

Her expression changed to one of relief as Hotch relayed what they had seen, in as little detail as possible. Reid suspected that he knew why, but he would wait for Bryn to bring it up. It was her decision whether to reveal it to them or not, after all. As he looked down at her, the bruises on her skin even darker under the bright hospital lights, his sense of guilt threatened to overcome him. If he had just followed protocol, Bryn wouldn't be recovering from major surgery and psychological torment.

Bryn yawned, and the team took that as their cue to leave, assuring her that they would come back in the morning. Reid was nearly out the door when Bryn called to him.

"Spencer? Can you come here for a minute?"

He pulled out the chair beside her bed and sat down. Bryn reached out and he took her hand. She squeezed it lightly.

"Spencer, what happened to me is not your fault, do you understand? They would have got to one of us eventually."

Reid didn't meet her gaze. He didn't want to look at her, to see all the damage that his carelessness had caused.

"You know what happened, don't you," Bryn said quietly. "You figured it out."

He shook his head, but his expression must have betrayed him. Bryn sighed.

"I might be inexperienced, but I'm still a profiler, Reid. I can tell when someone is lying to me. Please, just say it out loud."

Reid met her gaze. She was scared, but she was trying to put on a brave face. Obviously she hadn't wanted the others to hear this conversation, but Reid could tell that she needed to have it. He took a deep breath, hating what he was about to say.

"I realised when I watched the second video. Your clothes were ripped and dirty, like you'd been in a struggle and had fallen on the floor of the barn. You had strangulation marks on your neck, like you'd been held down. Between that and what the Un-Sub insinuated, it wasn't difficult to deduce."

"Say it, Reid."

"You were raped," Reid said quietly. "Robert beat you and raped you."


End file.
